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Aug. 19th, 2007 11:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyfirestarterHer hair changes color as the sun rises. Prometheus wouldn't have thought of that on his own, but after the hours of sitting alone in the darkness, he slipped through the bedroom door and sat with her. Tonight, at least, she was a restless sleeper: if she'd been under the covers, they'd be all in twists. The temperature in the room spiked suddenly, just before 4 AM. He stretched out beside her, and pressed one arm around her waist. The firething thrashed -- he could feel it racing with her heartbeat -- but she didn't wake, and eventually the threat subsided.
The seven o'clock shade of her hair is his favorite yet. He decides this while pushing back a number of other, less pleasant prospects, like how to bring this firestarting to heel and how to keep it from hurting Charlie and when he's going to have to wake her up. That he doesn't know when she has to be back in Taos frustrates him: she looked so worn thin last night, he wants to give her every minute he can. But she's also devoted to her kids. So, he hazards a guess. Because the worst that can come of waking her up needlessly is that she can go back to sleep.
He rolls a little closer, and runs one hand over her arm. "Hey."
She opens her eyes, blinks at him, and sits up rapidly. "-- what time is it?"
-----
It's still another hour before Charlie has to get home. They sit at the little table in the kitchenette, drinking coffee and talking, for most of that hour. (Coffee's nearly the only thing in the house; Prometheus makes a mental note that he should really start keeping this place better stocked.)
If there were nightmares, Charlie's not talking about them. The conversation is comfortable, perhaps pointedly so. She talks about some of the older kids learning to swim this summer, and he tells a story about the first time he set foot on a sailboat. He asks about how soon the fall comes to Taos, and she wonders aloud about how much they'll need to restock on warmer clothes.
She's the one who notices the time and stands up from the table, but she's also the one who holds him back for a moment on the threshold before he opens the door.
The kiss is warm and heartfelt, and brief.
-----
The Bar is quiet as they pass through: mostly people are intent on breakfast, or recovering from hangovers. The sunlight is the same, though, and it has the same effect.
See you soon, he says as she opens the door again, this time leading back to Taos.
Charlie glances back at him and smiles as the door closes behind her, and a moment later warmth ripples over him, along with her voice: Yes.
The seven o'clock shade of her hair is his favorite yet. He decides this while pushing back a number of other, less pleasant prospects, like how to bring this firestarting to heel and how to keep it from hurting Charlie and when he's going to have to wake her up. That he doesn't know when she has to be back in Taos frustrates him: she looked so worn thin last night, he wants to give her every minute he can. But she's also devoted to her kids. So, he hazards a guess. Because the worst that can come of waking her up needlessly is that she can go back to sleep.
He rolls a little closer, and runs one hand over her arm. "Hey."
She opens her eyes, blinks at him, and sits up rapidly. "-- what time is it?"
-----
It's still another hour before Charlie has to get home. They sit at the little table in the kitchenette, drinking coffee and talking, for most of that hour. (Coffee's nearly the only thing in the house; Prometheus makes a mental note that he should really start keeping this place better stocked.)
If there were nightmares, Charlie's not talking about them. The conversation is comfortable, perhaps pointedly so. She talks about some of the older kids learning to swim this summer, and he tells a story about the first time he set foot on a sailboat. He asks about how soon the fall comes to Taos, and she wonders aloud about how much they'll need to restock on warmer clothes.
She's the one who notices the time and stands up from the table, but she's also the one who holds him back for a moment on the threshold before he opens the door.
The kiss is warm and heartfelt, and brief.
-----
The Bar is quiet as they pass through: mostly people are intent on breakfast, or recovering from hangovers. The sunlight is the same, though, and it has the same effect.
See you soon, he says as she opens the door again, this time leading back to Taos.
Charlie glances back at him and smiles as the door closes behind her, and a moment later warmth ripples over him, along with her voice: Yes.
